Life Or Something Like It
by Aussiegirl41
Summary: Bill and Laura celebrate the holiday period together. A series of A/U drabbles.
1. Our Lot in Life

**Written for the ar_drabbles community on LJ's A/U challenge.**

Laura slid the door open an inch and peeked out. Sure enough, there was Bill, reclined on a chair and staring up at the stars.

"Hey," he greeted her, immediately standing to remove the thick coat he was huddled in and draping it snugly around her.

"Happy Thanksgiving," he offered quietly.

"You too, Bill."

"I wasn't sure if you were going to make it, _Madam Secretary_. Do you have Secret Service agents with you?" he teased.

"No, it's not official yet," she told him with a smile. "The Senate still has to approve my nomination."

"A formality," he assured her. "Adar wants you."

She hummed and moved to lean on the railing.

"What's wrong?"

She jumped slightly at Bill's question, his breath fanning the nape of her neck. If anyone else stood so close to her, she'd be uncomfortable. But as it was...It was Bill.

"Laura?" he prompted.

She licked her lips, imagining she could still feel Richard's kisses on them.

"You're having second thoughts about the appointment?"

She turned around, glancing down at the band of gold adorning Bill's ring finger before quickly looking away. Inside, she saw Saul and Ellen pouring drinks while Lee looked on disapprovingly; Emily and Sherman were deep in conversation; Dee and Kara were pointedly ignoring each other.

A petite blonde waved before opening the door to join them.

"I knew you two would be hiding out here. I need you to carve the turkey," Carolanne Adama said to her husband before giving her once-Maid-of-Honor a distracted kiss on the cheek. "No books," she then scolded her.

Laura held her hands up. "I didn't bring any."

"Good. You can give Laura a bagful on the way out, Bill."

As Bill chuckled, Laura reluctantly shrugged off his coat.

"Let's go give thanks," she murmured.


	2. Lessons Learned in Life

"Hello."

Laura nearly dropped the telephone. After the sixth ring she'd thought no one was home and she'd be leaving a message. Texting was out of the question, even though she was being so cowardly.

_Bright, happy, festive, _she kept repeating to herself.

"Bill! How are you? I was just calling about Christmas. Is Carolanne around?"

"No. She's...Out." He went on before she had a chance to question his hesitation: "You'll just have to put up with talking to me."

She giggled. "Such a hardship, honey."

"You're calling to cancel again."

Damn, she wished Carolanne had been home. Bill always knew when she was being less than truthful. "Yes, I am," she slowly admitted.

"Laura, it's been five years. Maybe it's time you spent Christmas with your friends instead of-"

"I was there for Thanksgiving," she insisted stubbornly. "I'm not ready to..." She didn't finish her sentence, and he never replied. Only that she could hear his steady breathing on the other end reassured her that she hadn't been cut off.

"I know we weren't there for you when-"

"Don't be ridiculous, Bill," she scolded. "You were busy with your own tragedy." She took a deep breath. "I'm not married, so I volunteered to be on call right over the holiday period. Besides, I have a date on Christmas Eve," she added, hoping to at least gain some sense of dignity. "You never know, he might turn out to be Mr Right."

The last she said as brightly as possible. Bill didn't join in with her cheeriness.

"I'll let Carolanne know," he said in a morose tone. "Maybe we'll see you at New Year's?"

"Yes! Marcie's?"

"Yes."

"Merry Christmas, Laura."

"Merry Christmas, Bill."

Laura slowly placed the phone back in the cradle, mystified as to why she was crying.


	3. A Slice of Life

It was almost midnight. Laura again glanced at her silent cell phone-no new messages.

She was accustomed to Carolanne's flitty moods and last minute cancellations, but she'd thought Bill would've called if there was a change of plans.

With a resigned sigh she gathered up her purse and climbed from the uncomfortable stool.

"Madam Secretary, you're wearing a _suit_."

Laura blinked with surprise and accepted a kiss on the cheek from the woman who'd greeted her in such an unconventional way. "Yes, I came straight from the office."

"You're as bad as Bill." Carolanne rolled her eyes and gestured toward the bar, where Bill, dressed in his dark blue naval uniform, was waiting to be served.

"He looks spiffy."

"He looks like an old man. But he doesn't care. Meanwhile, we grasp onto our youth with a series of botox injections and chemical peels."

Laura pressed her lips together.

Bill arrived at their table, and Carolanne grabbed one of the three drinks he balanced. "He's leaving," Carolanne sneered suddenly.

Bill sighed.

"_USS George Washington_. Japan," Carolanne hissed.

"It's my job, Carolanne."

"You're so lucky, Laura. You have no one."

"Carolanne," Bill growled at his wife.

Carolanne ignored him and instead waved at someone on the other side of the dance floor. "There's Marcie. I need to say hello," she said, jumping up abruptly and disappearing into the crowd.

Laura kept quiet, her focus on the condensation dripping down the side of her glass.

"Would you tell Carolanne I've gone home?" Bill eventually asked.

She nodded, vaguely aware of the countdown from ten over the PA system as Bill dropped a chaste kiss onto her forehead. "Happy new year, Laura."

"Happy new year, Bill," she whispered.

Only then did she look up, to follow his slow exit from the ballroom.


	4. Such is Life

Bill unlocked the front door and pushed it open to be greeted by James Taylor's gentle tones. A burglar wouldn't put on one of his CDs.

"Lee!" he called out - from habit, his heart always-hopeful - even though he knew Lee was joining his mother and her new husband in Australia for the holiday season.

He threw his duffel bag down and removed his boots and coat just inside the door.

The other coat on the hook was a woman's. "Kara?" he wondered, but it wasn't Kara's floral perfume that hung in the air. He breathed deeply and instantly recognized the intriguing mix of vanilla and lime.

He padded down the hallway. The front bedroom doors were closed, but the guest bathroom door was wide open and he automatically glanced in as he passed. _A wig... With long straight, red... Why..._

With a quick shake of his head, he headed for the kitchen after hearing the creak of the backdoor, pans and pots clattering, and water running.

He found Laura moving around the room, completely unaware of his presence in the doorway.

A coat, his old coat he noted, was tossed on the kitchen table, as was a set of gloves, a woolen scarf and a red beret.

He cleared his throat and she spun around.

"You're home!"

"Yeah."

Her eyes darted around the room. "I've been living here."

He looked over her shoulder. She was cooking a turkey and he immediately wondered whom she'd invited to join her.

"Five months now. Carolanne said you wouldn't mind."

"Of course I don't mind."

He stepped closer.

"Your house is closer to the hospital."

"Only two blocks," he agreed.

She never protested as he reached up and gently swept his fingers across her bald scalp.

"Happy Thanksgiving, Bill," she whispered.

"Happy Thanksgiving, Laura."


	5. Bring Back to Life

"How long have I been asleep?"

Bill looked up from his book and smiled across to where Laura was settled on the couch. "I'm not completely sure. I was talking to myself for a while apparently."

"Do you want to call Lee and Carolanne soon?"

"No, they celebrated yesterday. I talked to them last night after you'd gone to bed," he explained. "But, madam, it's Christmas, don't think I'm going to keep letting you fall asleep."

"Yes, sir," she saluted, making him smile broadly. Last night they'd laughed and laughed at her terrible attempts at saluting and his mock orders to correct her sloppy action.

She pointed to the tree. "Santa's been?"

"Yes."

"I wonder what they could be?" she teased.

He chuckled. He'd wrapped the gifts while she slept and only realized then that their shapes made it obvious they were all books. All except for one special one he'd bought her, which would remain hidden for now.

"Don't worry, I didn't get you Adar's biography," he joked. "When are the others arriving?"

"They're not."

It had been Sherman, Emily, Billy and Layne who had joined them for Thanksgiving. He'd thought she'd invited them all again today, along with the Tighs.

"Dinner-"

"They're joining us for a Boxing Day dinner. Tonight will just be us."

Her eyes sparkled and before he could finish his next thought her lips were on his. This kiss was just as brief as all their others in the past... And yet...

"Happy Christmas, Bill."

He held her gaze, long enough to assure himself he wasn't misinterpreting her suggestion.

"Happy Christmas, Laura."

His breathless tone made her giggle. He remained breathless when she leaned close. "I'm confident you'll think of a few ways to make sure I don't fall asleep," she whispered against his mouth.


	6. Life Or Something Like It

"Bill."

Carolanne had appeared by his table. He gave her a quick kiss; she smelled of hairspray and champagne. "When did you get back?"

"Yesterday."

She stared at the purse sitting by his elbow.

"Laura's in the bathroom."

"Were you and her-" she raised her eyebrows "-while we were married?"

"I can't believe you'd even think to ask that."

"It wouldn't be the first time she's had an affair with a married man."

"I'll just pretend I never heard that," he said tightly.

"How long is she going to live in our-sorry, I mean, _your _house?"

"You didn't want the house," he reminded her.

"Lee wants to know. And Marcie tells me she's finished her treatment at the hospital."

"Yes, she has," he agreed without emotion. "And _she_ is _Laura_."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Of course the great Bill Adama would be angry if I didn't show respect to-"

"You never visited her, did you?" He was used to her moods, her selfishness, but this... "You just handed her the keys, thinking what a relief it was that you no longer had to check on the place."

She shrugged. "I was busy," she claimed, turning to catch the attention of a passing waitress.

He turned too. Laura had come up behind him. He immediately stood and let her lean against him.

"Honey, I know I wanted to come tonight, but-" She broke off, recognizing their unexpected fellow guest. "Carolanne!"

Carolanne remained mute and her eyes widened as she slowly took in Laura's appearance.

"Happy new year, Laura," she eventually murmured, moving to kiss her one of Laura's pale cheeks. "Happy new year, Bill," she added, surprising him by reaching out and squeezing his arm.

"Let's go home," Laura suggested a few moments later as they watched Carolanne walk away.

End Notes: I rewatched Day in the Life again before writing this, and boy! Carolanne was a bigger bitch than we could ever write her. I'd forgotten... She's awful...


	7. Come to Life

**A/N: The last ficlet was originally to be the last in this series. However, I ended up writing a couple of other parts. Will we call them companion pieces? This one fits into the timeline between the fourth and fifth installments. (That is, between Thanksgiving and Christmas.)**

Laura heard voices: Bill and Saul Tigh's.

Silently, she slipped straight into the front bedroom she'd been occupying for almost six months. She'd spent over three hours finding the perfect gift for Bill; she didn't want him to see it before Christmas Day.

After tucking it into her bedside table's top drawer, she dragged off her boots and replaced her damp and chilled coat with the robe lying draped across the base of her bed.

She'd been wearing the robe before he'd returned from overseas. Bill had never made any comment. Nor had he said anything about her still staying in his house, even though he must realize she didn't go to the hospital anymore.

She should feel guilty about making herself so at home in his home-but she didn't.

Bill was such undemanding company. They could talk for hours, but just as pleasing, neither of them were afraid of silence.

She couldn't ever imagine returning to her own lonely apartment.

She flipped her head over and tugged off her wig. The unevenness of her hair's reappearance was as depressing as its disappearance in the first place. She retrieved a headscarf, twisting it around her head to hide the bleak evidence of her failure to fight both the cancer and the chemotherapy.

Feeling more ready to greet the men, she padded along the hallway.

Saul was wanting Bill to go out on the town. A stripclub!

She decided it wouldn't hurt to bolster Bill's confidence. Carolanne had certainly given it a fair battering.

Before she could think too much, she entered the kitchen and lowered herself into Bill's lap. "What's this about a lapdance?"

Saul was rendered speechless, but Bill just chuckled.

Without examining her motives any further, she brushed her lips across his cheek. "Happy, Bill?"

"Happy, Laura."


	8. This Life

**A/N: This is the last ficlet in the series. This one was an 'extra' one I wrote as well. Even though these should have all been 'stand alone' and able to be read separately, this one makes more sense if you read the others.**

"Bill?"

Bill swept back his bed's covers, grabbed the robe lying on the chair, and rushed to open his bedroom door.

Laura jumped; she'd been standing right on the other side, about to knock again.

"Sorry," they said in unison.

He relaxed a little; she didn't look ill. She looked good. She was wearing the new white robe she'd purchased two days ago.

He tugged the belt tighter on his own robe. It still smelled of gave him a sheepish smile as she looked over his shoulder, noticing his darkened room. "Did I wake you?"

"No." The truth was he'd barely slept at all since returning to his house and finding her here. She'd unsettled his sleeping patterns-and his life. He wouldn't have it any other way. Didn't want it any other way...

"Can I come in?"

He switched on his bedside lamp. She lay down on his bed.

After a brief hesitation, he lowered himself beside her.

"I've been having dreams. Sandra and Cheryl..."

He found her hand and squeezed it, silently cursing that he'd forgotten the date.

"I burned all their photos, Bill. I only kept one."

She brought out a tattered and folded photograph from the pocket of her robe. The Roslin sisters together at Christmas, according to the Santa hats perched jovially on their heads. They were holding out their arms, showing off matching silver bangles.

"I threw mine in the Potomac after they died."

*******

"Not a book?" Laura teased before she opened the small jeweler's case Bill had just presented her with.

He held his breath for her reaction.

Finally, she slowly placed the silver bangle on her arm before rolling over and kissing him, passionately enough to instantly arouse him again.

"Thank you for making my Christmas perfect, Bill."

"About time."**  
**


End file.
